Robert Winskowicz -CEO of Squariz Golf Shoes - Afterhours
In today's discourse, we delve into the profound impact of golf not merely as a sport, but as a transformative experience that fosters joy and inclusion, particularly for those facing challenges such as autism. Our guest, Bob Winkowicz from Squares Golf Shoes, shares a poignant narrative about a young autistic golfer whose enthusiasm for the game was ignited by receiving a pair of specially designed shoes. This episode further explores the complexities of golf culture, including the expectations placed upon emerging players and the often-overlooked contributions of individuals who make significant impacts behind the scenes. We also engage in a thoughtful examination of the evolving nature of golf, particularly with the advent of indoor facilities and simulators, and their potential role in broadening the accessibility of the game. As we reflect on these themes, we invite our audience to consider the deeper connections that golf fosters within communities and individuals alike.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Painted Hills Natural Beef
- Squares Golf Shoes
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Transcript
Welcome to Grilling at the Green After Hours.
Speaker A:The conversation that took place after the show ended.
Speaker B:Hi, everybody.
Speaker B:It's JT and this is a special version of Grilling at the Green.
Speaker B:Grilling at the Green is brought to you in part by Painted Hills Natural Beef, beef you can be proud to serve your family and friends.
Speaker B:That's Painted Hill's natural Beef, everybody.
Speaker B:Welcome to After Hours here on Grilling at the Green.
Speaker B:We got Bob Winkowicz today from Squares Golf Shoes.
Speaker B:Great show.
Speaker B:The first show and first part of the show, and this is the part that.
Speaker B:Where I come up with some really weird stuff.
Speaker B:You know, one of the questions I was thinking about, Bob, is this.
Speaker B:Of course, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, as you can tell.
Speaker B:If you see me in person, you can tell I've never left the kitchen that much.
Speaker B:But when you, you have an ice maker, I can see it in your refrigerator behind you.
Speaker B:Here's the big question.
Speaker B:There's always seems to be a piece of ice when you're filling up your.
Speaker B:Your glass or your cup or whatever that comes out at the very end after you've pulled your hand back from filling it up and it falls on the floor.
Speaker B:So the big question is, do you bend over and pick it up or do you kick it under the refrigerator?
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:So I thought I had the only ice maker in the world that did that.
Speaker B:So it's standard.
Speaker A:At first, I would pick it up.
Speaker A:I've never kicked it under the refrigerator, ever.
Speaker A:I picked it up.
Speaker A:But now it's a challenge.
Speaker A:I do that, pull the cup out and wait for it to bounce, and I try to catch it.
Speaker B:Oh, there you go.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:That's an answer I wasn't expecting.
Speaker B:But I like it because my cat comes by, and I'll play, like, soccer field hockey with it around the kitchen till the damn thing melts, and then you're good to go.
Speaker B:Okay, here's some fun stuff for you.
Speaker B:If I gave you a box with everything you've lost in your life, what is the first thing you would reach for?
Speaker A:Geez.
Speaker B:Lost.
Speaker A:Boy, that's a tough one.
Speaker A:I never expected that question.
Speaker B:I told you, I did some new ones.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Oh, okay.
Speaker B:I got it.
Speaker A:I, I, I had lost.
Speaker A:I lost a set of VIP irons that, when I was with McGregor, it was a beautiful VIP irons, forged irons.
Speaker A:And to this day, I don't know where I lost them, but I lost them.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That would be it.
Speaker A:How's that?
Speaker A:It's Both related, too.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah, I like it.
Speaker B:I like it.
Speaker B:What's your favorite lifesaver color?
Speaker A:It would have to be red.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker B:Bob, when you get in the car, what's the one song you want to hear on the radio when you first start your car?
Speaker A:The first one that I want to hear.
Speaker A:Well, I'm a big Pink Floyd fan, so.
Speaker A:Anything Pink Floyd.
Speaker B:So there you go.
Speaker A:Maybe comfortably numb.
Speaker B:Yeah, there you go.
Speaker B:I can relate to that song.
Speaker B:Excuse me.
Speaker B:Name an unsung hero in the golf world.
Speaker A:An unsung hero in the golf world.
Speaker A:You know, it came to mind when you asked me the question, there's a young.
Speaker A:There's a young kid, and I can't remember his name right this second.
Speaker A:That he's got autism.
Speaker A:That.
Speaker A:That he.
Speaker B:He.
Speaker A:And I can go back and find you an answer that I think would be a lot appealing to a lot of people out there.
Speaker A:But this was kind of inspirational to me, is a couple months ago, we had a young man who is an autistic young man reach out and ask for a pair of shoes, and we sent them.
Speaker A:And you should see this young man out there hitting in the shoes.
Speaker A:And the inspiration and the feeling it gives you that just that the game is providing him this level of joy.
Speaker A:And when you watch him and just make contact with the ball, everybody should appreciate the fact that you have that ability to go out and play.
Speaker A:But somebody like that, and I'm not just saying that.
Speaker A:It was just something that really hit me down deep.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:Somebody like him, you know, and we've got a bunch of people on, you know, the tours out there that are for, you know, people with disabilities, and those are really some unsung.
Speaker B:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Name a player that you think is sort of underrated.
Speaker B:Could be any Tour, any amateur.
Speaker B:Just somebody you.
Speaker B:You think is underrated.
Speaker B:That can be surprising.
Speaker A:You know, I. I might have included JJ Spawn in there until most recently.
Speaker A:You know, that's kind of hindsight, isn't it?
Speaker A:But, yeah, you know, geez, I'm struggling here.
Speaker A:An unsung type of guy.
Speaker A:You know, I still think.
Speaker A:Well, I will say this, you know, and maybe this.
Speaker A:I still think somebody like Brooks Kapka, who really.
Speaker A:I think if he can make it back, if they can bring things together, I think you're going to see him go out and win some big events.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Do you ever get.
Speaker B:Do you ever get.
Speaker B:This isn't actually on my list.
Speaker B:This is just a personal thing.
Speaker B:Do you ever get kind of.
Speaker B:I Don't know, tired, fatigued, if you will, of people trying to compare to like Tiger or Jack.
Speaker B:Because I'll tell you, as a, as a media guy, and you see them and, and doesn't matter.
Speaker B:Usually it's on the guy tours and they get out there and they say, boy, I expect this guy to do a lot of winning.
Speaker B:A lot of winning.
Speaker B:Well, if they clarified it and said, you know, I think this guy is going to get, you know, 75 top fives or top tens in his career, which will make him a very wealthy person at this point.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:But I, I don't.
Speaker B:There's, there's one Tiger, there's one Jack, there's one Arnold that, you know, because you used to work for him.
Speaker B:There's very, very few.
Speaker B:And I think that blanket statement of we expect great things from this, this person, I don't know that as a media guy, that always doesn't irritate me.
Speaker B:It's just like you're setting expectations for something that these other people work so hard and for so many years.
Speaker B:And these days you see a lot of guys that come out on tour and they' there five years from now.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And, and then you see some of these, these names that win a couple events and then you look five, you know, four or five years from now, and they're not even out.
Speaker A:They can't, you know, whatever reason, they can't break yet at the time they're like, you know, these announcers are like, oh, he's, he could be the next Jack.
Speaker A:So I, I, I acknowledge your point.
Speaker A:I think it's valid that, look, you know, time will tell and you know, Scotty Scheffler, I think is, is one of those guys today that I've seen his ability to repeat and repeat and.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:You know, I would, I would say, you know, look, I have in my own mind, I, I just think he's got a, he's been able to repeat year after year.
Speaker A:And so I see a potential in him, you know, down the road to be in, you know, but, but again, every time, you know, I make a bet on something, I end up losing.
Speaker A:I don't, I don't want to curse the guy, you know.
Speaker B:Okay, I got it, I get it.
Speaker B:What's the first thing you reach for when you're done with a round, even though you haven't played for a while?
Speaker B:I get it.
Speaker A:But yo, usually I play in the morning, so the first thing I reach for is something to eat, you know, a sandwich, you know.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:There you Go.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker B:What's a course that you want to play but have not yet?
Speaker B:Bob?
Speaker A:Pebble Beach.
Speaker B:You never played Pebble Beach?
Speaker A:I haven't had the opportunity to play.
Speaker A:You know, it's funny.
Speaker A:When you're in the golf business, you.
Speaker B:Don'T play much golf.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:You know, it's.
Speaker A:I tell people it's like working in a chocolate factory all day.
Speaker A:The last thing you want to do is go home and eat chocolate, you know?
Speaker B:Yeah, right.
Speaker A:So, you know, I've had, through my career the only place.
Speaker A:Well, not the only, but I did play Pine Valley, so that's.
Speaker A:Yeah, that was.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But, you know, I'd love to play Augusta, you know, before I die, but I. I get the opportunity sometimes to play a lot of these courses that I. I just don't have the time or.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:Make the time.
Speaker A:But pebble beach, you know, Spanish Bay, you know, I'd like to do that.
Speaker A:That Tour out there.
Speaker B:I got it.
Speaker B:What's one thing you wish spectators at big tournaments, doesn't matter, lpga, pga, whatever, would not do?
Speaker B:What's one thing you wish spectators would not do?
Speaker A:You know, I. I hear a lot of this heckling, you know, and you see time and time again every week that a Tour player is either going in the stands, are going under the ropes, or looking at somebody.
Speaker A:You know, I just think it's.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:Look, I don't.
Speaker A:I don't mind every sport.
Speaker A:You know, people cheer people, whatever, scream things.
Speaker A:You can.
Speaker A:You can look at certain events where, you know, at the waste management, where everybody's yelling and screaming, you know, on that par three, everybody's yelling and screaming, you know, and that's great.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:But to be screaming foul words, to be screaming insulting things, it's.
Speaker A:It.
Speaker A:That.
Speaker A:That's out of line.
Speaker A:That.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That.
Speaker A:That.
Speaker A:That's out of line.
Speaker B:And from a guy who deals with food, the guy who says, yells mashed potatoes, I like to just, like, you know, there's 473 other food groups.
Speaker B:Pick one.
Speaker B:Not just mashed potato.
Speaker B:Okay, there you go.
Speaker B:Do you think going forward, and we've seen this in the numbers in the National Golf Federation and Stuff Foundation, I mean, indoor events like tgl, should we start to consider them real golf?
Speaker B:We got so many simulators and so many practice facilities, because in some parts of the country, it's hard to get on a course certain times of year.
Speaker B:Out here, not as much.
Speaker B:But I know back where you live and Southern California, I mean, the we don't have the population that some of the areas do, so it's a little easier for us here, but I don't have a problem with it being considered.
Speaker B:I don't think they should count it as a real golf round or anything, but I think it's, you know, it's a good place to go play and have some fun.
Speaker A:I couldn't agree more.
Speaker A:I, I love it.
Speaker A:I do.
Speaker A:I think it, it, it's.
Speaker A:It's another experience.
Speaker A:It's another golf experience.
Speaker A:I don't think you should be counting it as a round play and a handicap.
Speaker A:Affect the handicap.
Speaker A:But, but I love, I love this indoor leagues.
Speaker A:And, you know, I, There's a lot of discussion that there's a lot of latent golfers out there, that this could bring them into the business.
Speaker A:You know, they've, you know, they, they hoped for this, like with topgolf and things like that.
Speaker A:I'm not so sure that it's actually bringing somebody into the game, going to topgolf, having a few beers and whacking at a ball.
Speaker A:But I do see something like indoor golf and experiencing.
Speaker A:If you can put up on a simulator, you know, one of those popular courses up there and see what I do.
Speaker A:I like these leagues.
Speaker A:I like, I like this indoor stuff.
Speaker A:I really do.
Speaker A:I think it's.
Speaker A:I think it's good for the game.
Speaker B:Good.
Speaker B:Last question.
Speaker B:Is there anything in your life that you would change, like in your career or anything else?
Speaker B:I mean, that's kind of a big, broad question for people, but doesn't necessarily mean you have any regrets.
Speaker B:It just means that there's something you might change along the way.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know, I would just say this, that there's.
Speaker A:I love what I do.
Speaker A:I love this brand.
Speaker A:I love, I love the emails I get from golfers and, you know, all of that, that I've helped people play.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:And I, you know, my regret is that I just, I thrive on that.
Speaker A:I live on that.
Speaker A:And I work too much, you know.
Speaker A:Yeah, I have my phone if I'm watching tv, you know, I'm flipping through Facebook just to see the comments or Instagram to see the comments, you know, answering emails because I know they're going to be there in the morning, so, you know, I never leave it.
Speaker A:That's my, you know, I haven't taken a vacation in seven years, so that's my regret.
Speaker B:I got you beat on that one.
Speaker B:We finally, now my wife's taking some vacations with my blessing.
Speaker B:Gone to Europe and stuff with our kids.
Speaker A:Mine too.
Speaker B:Yep, all that.
Speaker B:But, you know, I stay home and take care of the cat and do this stuff and.
Speaker B:And all that.
Speaker B:But I did go to Hawaii.
Speaker B:Oh, over Thanksgiving for about 10 days.
Speaker B:And about the third day in I went, I could get used to this because I kind of put everything aside, you know, didn't check my emails, didn't take a laptop, didn't only one of my email accounts, which have a couple come to my phone.
Speaker B:So it was limited.
Speaker B:You know, most of the emails that come to my phone are the ones that you subscribe to, like a newsletter or, you know, global golf post or whatever.
Speaker B:You know, you get that stuff.
Speaker B:So I wasn't really looking at anything else anyway.
Speaker B:Bob Witz from CEO from Squares Golf.
Speaker B:Go to squaresgolf.com Great shoes there.
Speaker B:Don't forget the falo shoe.
Speaker B:Still got a few of those left.
Speaker B:And Bob, thank you.
Speaker A:It's always a pleasure, Jeff.
Speaker A:Thank you for having me.
Speaker B:Not a problem.
Speaker B:We'll be back next week with another edition of After Hours.
Speaker B:Until then, go out, play some golf, have some fun.
Speaker B:Most of all, be kind.
Speaker B:Take care, everybody.
